Strive vs. Stride vs. Strife

Stride

Stride is a verb that means to take a careful step towards an aim, or to cross even difficult obstacles in a positive manner. The word originated from old English stride meaning ‘single long step’. “Taking things in a stride” is an idiom that we have used in the example above. It means to cope with unfortunate things in an effortless manner. Examples –

•   He took a huge stride towards his career.

•   He took big strides to reach the finish line faster.

•   Take smaller strides, you might get hurt.

•   It’s ok if you dint get the job, take it in a positive stride.

•   My son strode out of the bedroom to see who rang the doorbell.

Strive

Strive is a verb that means to struggle or work hard to achieve something. The word originates from the old French estrif. Examples –

•   Always strive to become a better and happier person.

•   He strived for long to reach where he is today.

•   We strive to earn money but never think about the precious time we are losing in this battle.

•   Strive a little more to finish this task well ahead of the deadline.

Strife

Strife is a noun that means a bitter argument or fight over an issue. Some common synonyms of strife are conflict, dispute, controversy or disagreement. The word originates from the old French estrif. Examples –

•   The strife within the community was visible during their festival celebrations.

•   Always try to rise above the strife, otherwise your time will be wasted in petty issues.

•   We tried to resolve the strife but to no avail.

•   Walk away from the strife before it gets bigger and worse.

Now that we understand the meanings of the three words, let us look at our first example sentence once more. Have you understood the meanings? Let us know in the comments.

How to remember?

stride -> rhymes with ride – think of that as going somewhere or moving around.

strive –> rhymes with survive – so think of it as something that helps you grow or live

strife –> rhymes with knife – well that’s a bit too much, but knife is used to cut something – and when you are extremely angry you feel like cutting, throwing or beating someone or something.

So, you can remember strive, stride and strife through these crazy rhyming analogies.